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Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Parkville Microbrew Festival 2017 is this Saturday!

Posted by
Jay Aber

Parkville Microbrew Fest this Sat @ 1pm!

Hey blog friends, are you ready for a party!? Parkville Microbrew Fest is this Saturday! Now instead of just touting the many reasons you should go to Parkville (which we will do later on), I thought it might be fun to delve into the Parkville Past on the blog for a little while. Our humble beer blog was started almost 10 years ago and when we had our first post about Parkville in 2008 the fest was already well established in its 5th year. Now in its 14th year, Parkville is officially the oldest continuously operating beerfest in the metro.

In 2012, our former Beer Blog Editor in Chief (now Supreme Marketing Guru at Boulevard and all around super likeable guy), Pat Mullin, wrote our first review of the fest. Even though he had a great time, he still had a tough review of the fest with almost as many negatives as positives. But what I love about reading that old post is seeing how far Parkville has come since then. In the last 5 years, basically all the criticisms that Pat had have all been fully addressed. Contrast his follow up review in 2012 to mine in 2016, and you won't find any of the same issues. Really this is the best organized festival in the region. My only big complaint last year was parking, but really, you shouldn't be driving to an all day drinking fest anyways (but if you do, remember that designated drivers get in FREE!).

As usual, Parkville will be down at the English Landing Park on the banks of the Missouri. As I've said many times over, I think this is the best location for a beer fest that I've ever been to. There aren't many festivals that you're not pounding the pavement all day long. They also do a great job with the grassy field. Last year it had rained for about 2 solid weeks prior to the fest, and even though there wasn't any rain on the day of the fest, I fully expected it to be a mud pit. But my wellies really weren't even necessary. Also as a bonus--because of the location you can bring your dogs and your kids! (Yes, I carried a 1 year old kid around last year strapped on my shoulders).

Even after a 2+ weeks of rains ahead of the fest last year,
the ground was still pretty solid.

The brewery list this year looks better than ever, with a full 69 breweries attending the fest plus 13 breweries-in-planning or homebrew clubs and 250+ beers. And while the list lacks some of the superstar breweries of Bouelvardia, it definitely has some standouts that I highlight below. Just to whet your appetite, know that Cinder Block's Lusus Naturae is on tap for the fest (which might be the best beer brewed in KC) and, oh yea, Love Child 5, Love Child 6, AND Love Child 7 at Boulevard's table... So do your research and you'll still be able to find those rare gems at Parkville.

It looks like rain in the forecast for this Saturday, but don't worry, the rain wont dilute your beer if you drink it fast enough. Plus, if it rains, that means no lines for beer--so much the better for the dedicated drinker. And like I said, they seem to have some magic sauce in the grass there, because last year should have been a mud wrestling pit, but was actually really decent still. So suck it up--you won't melt.

Why You Should (or Shouldn't) Go

The Price: At $35, Parkville is an absolute steal. The amenities provided, bands, organization, and brewery selection make this well worth the money. You're going to spend this much money buying about 4 beers at a bar with tax and a tip anymore.

The Location: Obvious. Trees. Better than a parking lot. Lots of room for porta-potties. Drinking by the river.

The Organization: I haven't been to a beer fest with shorter lines for the bathrooms, a better festival grounds layout, or an easier entry process.

The Beers: So like I said last year, this isn't the pantheon of rare and specialty beers like Boulevardia. The breweries attending are by and large not super exotic breweries that you have to drive across the country to try. There are definitely some rare gems in the mix, but if you crave the rare and exclusive, your money is probably better spent at Boulevardia.

The Brews

Here's a comprehensive list of brewers attending the event so far. Parkville also has really nice mobile site where you can search brewers and beers by name or style. They also have the event listed on Untappd (I didn't even know this was a thing!), so you can easily rate beers to your hearts desire without having to spend so much effort looking them up. I also highlighted brewers on the list that shouldn't be missed either because they're new, not available in town, or because of the special beers they're bringing! And that's not to say that each one of these breweries won't have great beer.